"I think so. It's been a long time, but I think it'll come back to me." He wondered if the whole town knew about the bad blood he'd only recently heard about. His family never mentioned the Malloys. Whatever had happened was a distant memory as far as the Harts were concerned.
She went into a back room and returned with a few boxes of microfiche rolls. Zeke loaded the first roll into the machine and began scanning. He found what he was looking for on the fifth roll in the editorial section of the September 12, 1885 paper. A letter to the editor from Scott Malloy claimed that Zeke's great grandfather had encroached upon Malloy's land with a barbed-wire fence. Malloy had been told, essentially, that he should shut his mouth and let the big boys have their way when he spoke personally to Hart. Malloy had filed a civil lawsuit in county court and lost. His letter claimed that the judge had been paid off by Hart.
Zeke sat back and ran his hands through his hair. How could he prove his great-grandfather's innocence? If, in fact, the man had been innocent. He'd check with Gabe. His brother was knowledgeable about real estate law; he might know where to start. For now, Zeke needed to get to work. He stopped to thank Mrs. Temple. As he walked out of the library, he realized he had no idea what her first name was. She'd always been Mrs. Temple. He didn't even know if Mr. Temple was still alive. He made a mental note to find out more about her before his next trip to the library.
Thoughts of land deeds and where he could get drawings of the two properties occupied his mind as he entered the building and waved at Marta and Janice. Sophie stepped out of the women's restroom as Zeke walked down the hall toward his office. She greeted him with a big smile, and he took her hand in his and held it all the way to their respective offices. He kissed her before she got inside her door. She didn't resist, but turned quickly and pulled him by the tie and kissed him one more time.
"Now, get to work," she said with a laugh. She shut the door before Zeke could distract her further. He turned to find Robin staring at him. His brother's warnings came to mind, but he didn't think much of it. Robin was an intern; she had no skin in the game. He whistled to himself as he walked through his door. She was still watching, so he smiled and nodded before stepping inside. Unlike Sophie, who liked to work undisturbed and kept her door shut when concentrating, Zeke left his door open. It helped relieve the feeling of claustrophobia that sometimes stole up on him during the day. He walked to the window to check on weather conditions out of habit. It would be a good day to be out on the water. He shrugged out of his jacket and sighed. Someday, he thought. Someday.
The message light on his phone was blinking, so he sat to retrieve his voice mail.
"My office. Now!" It was Gabe. What now? Zeke put his jacket back on and ran into Sophie as she walked into the hall.
"Gabe?" he asked.
"Yeah. How'd you guess?" They started down the hall together.
"That's where I'm going. Did you get a voice mail from him?" He had his hand on the small of her back as they passed Robin's door. The girl was staring again. He waved, but she didn't wave or smile. Odd, he thought, then dismissed it as they climbed the stairs.
"You called?" he asked as they walked into Gabe's office together and took seats. Tim, from the human resources department, sat in one of the chairs in front of Gabe's oak desk. He had one leg crossed over the other and looked dour.
Sophie shot a questioning look at Zeke, but he could only shrug his shoulders in reply. They sat in the two empty chairs and waited to find out what the emergency could be.
"Thanks for coming, Sophie, Zeke. Sophie, I'll tell you, I've already talked to Zeke about this. Didn't think it would need to go any further, but apparently…" Gabe didn't smile or look up at them.
Zeke started to speak, but Gabe held his hand out. Sophie turned to face Zeke with a questioning look.
"I'll get right to the point. We've had a complaint filed against you, Zeke."
"What are you talking about?" Sophie asked. She furrowed her brow, and her head swiveled between the brothers.
"I reminded Zeke about the rules against fraternization last week. Told him of the possibility of lawsuits if you two didn't keep your relationship quiet."
Sophie's mouth was working like a fish out of water, gulping for air. She raised her hand to her chest, then rubbed her mouth subconsciously.
"Who filed a suit?" Zeke asked.
"No one. At this point, it's just a complaint." Tim answered.
"Then who complained?" Zeke almost shouted. He hadn't believed such a thing would happen, but now that it had, he thought of all the times he'd been open with his affection for Sophie. She would never forgive him if he screwed up her career. The woman thought that climbing the corporate ladder was the end-all in her life. He remembered Robin's frown earlier.
"Was it Robin?"
"I'm not getting into that with you right now. You brought this on yourself. And Sophie, it never occurred to me to say anything to you. You've been our most brilliant addition to the staff. What were you two thinking?"
"It was Robin. I'm sure of it. That little skunk; I thought she was a nice kid. I've tried to help her learn the ropes, and she does this?" He thumped his fist on the arm of the chair.
"Calm down, Romeo," Gabe said. "No blaming someone for your mistake."
"I am so sorry, Gabriel," Sophie said. "It won't happen again. I haven't been thinking, apparently. Your brother swept me off my feet. What can we do to rectify the situation?" She was in total professional mode. Zeke watched her transform before his eyes. He thought she'd sell him down the river in a heartbeat if it meant keeping her position intact. Doubt crept in. Was she who he thought she was? Could he trust her? Apparently not. Here she was, at the first sign of trouble, telling his brother she'd do anything, including dumping him.
"Not a lot we can do at this point. I'm considering transferring you, so you no longer report to Zeke."
"But where?" She stood up with fists clenched, and a scarlet face. "I've worked hard to get where I am. I didn't say a word when your father created a vice presidency and filled the position with his son. If anyone deserved that spot, it was me. Did I complain? No. And now you're going to transfer me to some other department? Come on, Gabe. This isn't fair. I'm good at this job, maybe the best you've had."
Zeke felt invisible and angry.
"I know. I know, Sophie. I can't speak for my father's decisions, but you must agree that something must be done?" Gabe asked the question as if he expected Sophie to come up with the solution that eluded him.
"Transfer Zeke. Even your father has me 'training' him. It's a ludicrous position, and everyone in the company knows it. He's spent his time working on our website, which has nothing to do with sales. And his degree? What does a degree in wildlife and fisheries sciences have to do with sales? He's the one you should transfer, not me."
Zeke wondered when Sophie had checked to see what he'd studied for his undergraduate degree. Did she even know that he had an MBA? Probably not, especially the way she was running him down in front of his brother right now.
"You want to suggest that to Tucker?" Gabe asked. He shook his head as if the idea were impossible to consider.
"I sure will. Let's go talk to him. How much has he heard about this?" She was already walking toward the door.
"Wait," Zeke said. His temper was about to boil over. Before he said something that he would be sure to regret later, he knew what he had to do. He mentally whipped himself for taking the time to research the issue between Sophie's family and his. She was proving to be just like the rest of the Malloy clan. Stick up for yourself before anybody else.
Sophie and Gabe stopped like statues. Had they really forgotten he was in the room? Incredible. His whole body shook.
"I've got the solution. I quit." He got up and left in a huff. All his new ideas about not leaving when angry flew out the window as he marched to his office and gathered the few personal items he'd accumulated. With the box under his arm, he stopped at Robin's office.
"I'm outta here. Good luck with your future." The sarcasm dripped from his voice. He was sure there were waves of anger rolling off him that any slightly perceptive person could see. He went down the steps quickly and laid his employee badge on Marta's desk. Without another word, he left the building, thinking good riddance to bad garbage as the door shut behind him.
He threw his paltry items into the back seat of his truck and sped away. As he drove, he took his tie off and tossed it out the window. With the windows down, he breathed deeply and felt free for the first time in ages. He knew exactly what he wanted to do, and by golly, by gosh, he was going to set everything in motion starting now. He'd waited too long as it was.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Sophie was stunned. She’d known Zeke wasn’t thrilled to have his job, but this was extreme. He’d stormed out as if he were mad at the entire world. She had been so caught up in trying to convince Gabe that he shouldn’t transfer her; she’d forgotten Zeke was even in the room.
“What just happened?” She turned to Gabe to gauge his reaction. He seemed as surprised as she was by Zeke’s outrageous behavior. Tim shook his head.
“You can go now,” Gabe said to the human resources guy. As Tim left the room, Gabe turned his attention back to Sophie.
“You know, I had dinner with Walsh a couple of weeks ago. He’s pretty adamant that he’ll only work with Zeke. Says he reminds him of the uncle he lost in Viet Nam. Personally, I think the man hates women, but I have no proof of that. It’s just a feeling I get from him. We’re screwed if we can’t talk Zeke out of this.” He’d messed his hair up by running his hands through it in the same way Zeke did when he’d been under stress in her presence.
“He may hate women, but there are laws against that sort of prejudiced behavior. Don’t worry, Gabe. I’ll fix this,” she said. She felt sure she could, too. Hadn’t Zeke just confessed his love for her? Maybe he was doing this as a grand gesture so that she could move up in the company. She was impressed with his acting ability.
“How? Laws are one thing, but he could use a million excuses besides misogyny, and we’d have a hell of a time proving different in a court of law. Not that it would come to that. We’d just lose the business, more likely.” Gabe’s expression showed that he had no faith in her ability to fix anything. After all, she was one of the main reasons they were all in this mess, and she knew it.
“I’ll figure it out. I’ll get your brother to come to his senses and come back to work.” She smiled reassuringly and turned to leave. She had her hand on the doorknob, ready to find Zeke.
“Good luck with that. I’ve never been able to understand the guy.” He sat down slowly, propped his elbows on his desk, and put his head in his hands.
“Then wish me luck.” She left him shaking his head.
She went to her office to retrieve her purse. As she passed his door, she peered into Zeke’s office. Stepping inside, she admired the view. How could he give this up? She practically flew out the front and revved the Mini’s engine. Where would he go? She pulled out of the parking lot and headed south. Maybe he’d go to his cabin. He claimed to be the most peaceful there. She spotted his tie lying in the road three blocks from the office, so she slammed on the brakes and got out to pick it up. Luckily, it didn’t seem to be damaged. It was silk. She ran the smooth material against her cheek and breathed in the scent of his aftershave. She tossed it into the back seat and continued down the road.
She found his car in the Hartford State Bank parking lot. She pulled into the space beside it and tried to see through the bank windows. They were darkened and gave her no hint as to what he would be doing there. The only way to find out was to go inside.
He was talking to Gerald Farrar, the loan officer. She wanted to sit in on the conversation but knew she’d be unwelcome. She couldn’t barge in.
“May I help you?” a woman wearing a blue blazer approached Sophie with a smile. The material of the blazer looked like it would be scratchy and uncomfortable. It had to be a standard uniform issue. Sophie felt a little sorry for the woman.
“I was looking for someone. I saw his truck in the parking lot. It’s a bit of an emergency. Can you help me? I think that’s him in Gerald’s office, but I can only see him from the back. Could you see if that’s Zeke Hart? If so, tell him there’s someone out here who needs to speak to him urgently?” Sophie kept her voice calm and modulated, not giving away her sense of panic.
“I’m not sure I can interrupt…” The woman’s name tag said, “Tammy.” Sophie knew she’d get better results if she personalized the situation.
“Oh, Tammy, don’t worry. He’ll be glad you interrupt. I’m sure.” Sophie leaned in and said in a conspiratorial way, “It’s very personal and important. He’s been waiting on this news.” She winked. She sounded so sure of herself; she could see that the woman was breaking down.
“Let me see what I can do.” The woman walked toward the closed door without making a noise. Her shoes were flat and had rubber soles, they looked comfortable, but Sophie wouldn’t be caught dead in them. Tammy lifted her hand to knock, but hesitated, sending a questioning look toward Sophie.
Sophie nodded encouragingly and mouthed ‘go on.’ The woman knocked, and Sophie heard someone say yes, as if asking a question. She watched the woman stick her head inside and whisper. Zeke turned around in his chair and searched the lobby area. When his eyes landed on her, they narrowed. He shook his head and said something to Tammy. He turned back to face Gerald.
The woman closed the door quietly and walked back to Sophie, who was biting her nails down to the quick.
“He doesn’t seem to want to speak with you. He said he knows what you want and to tell you no thank you. I’m afraid I can’t do anything else for you on that front. Is there any banking business I can help you with?” Sophie was impressed with the woman’s professionalism, but it wasn’t getting her anywhere.
“No. Thanks for trying.” She left. She talked to herself as she walked back to her automobile. “I’ll wait in the car. He has to talk to me at some point.” She opened the door and slid into the driver’s seat. She turned the key so that she could roll down the windows and turn the radio on. She waited for the better part of an hour. She’d almost fallen asleep and would have if she’d kept the station on smooth jazz, but after a few minutes, she’d changed the channel to hip hop. It wasn’t her favorite, but it wasn’t putting her to sleep either.
Zeke walked out of the bank with paperwork in his hands. His shirt was unbuttoned at the neck and had come untucked, or he’d pulled it out. She wasn’t sure which had happened. He looked wrinkled. She’d never seen a frumpy version of Zeke Hart in work clothes. It had been, what? An hour or so since she’d walked into Gabe’s office with an impeccable man?
He ignored her, although she was sure he saw her sitting in the car next to his.
“Zeke, can we talk?” she asked as he was reaching for his door handle.
“I think I’ve heard enough from you today,” he said. He opened the door and got inside, effectively shutting her off. She jumped out of her car and tried to open the passenger door of his. It was locked. She knocked on the window and mouthed, “open up.”
He rolled the window down enough to speak to her.
“I don’t think so, Sophie. I’ve got things to do.” He rolled the window up as she stood watching. She had to step back to keep her feet intact as he backed out and drove away.
“Thing is,” she said aloud as she got back into her car and followed him, “I don’t give up that easy.” He drove to Barry’s real estate office next. She followed at a discreet distance and waited in the parking lot again. She was beginning to think she knew what he was up to.
When he walked out of the building with Barry and got into his car, she was confident she was correct. They were going to look at a property. Zeke was going to follow his heart and start his fishing excursion business finally. She smiled at the thought. He’d needed to do this for a very long time. H
e’d been living under his father’s thumb for too many years. She stopped following when Barry turned into the old abandoned service station at the edge of town. The size would be perfect for Zeke’s office, and the old-time awning would protect boats he might want to park out front.
Sophie drove back to the office. If Zeke wanted to quit, let him. She was a fantastic salesperson. She’d have Patrick Walsh eating out of her hand in less than a week. She called Gabe and told him she couldn’t find Zeke. She convinced herself that it was only a little white lie, one she needed to tell for Zeke’s sake. If she talked him into coming back to work, he’d be miserable. Besides, she reasoned, he seemed already to have secured a loan for his new venture.
If she saved this account, maybe Tucker would finally see her value to the company. She’d always believed that she’d be sitting in that office with the fantastic view. She was close enough to taste it now. She pushed all thoughts of Zeke out of her mind. She’d think about him later. She worked up some bullet points she’d need when talking to Walsh and his staff. She failed to notice the satisfied grin on Robin’s face as she walked past the woman’s door and left for the day.
She sent a text to Zeke asking him out for drinks at Bart’s Bar, but he didn’t reply. She told herself he was busy with his new deal and didn’t worry. She called Rainy and talked her into meeting her at the bar at seven. That gave her time to freshen up and change into something less businesslike. She smiled, thinking of having a great evening out. Rainy was bringing Melinda, and Sophie always laughed a lot when with those two. She pulled on a slinky red dress and stepped into her favorite Manolo Blahnik shoes. She put a credit card, her driver’s license and proof of insurance, plus a tube of lipstick in a clutch. She was ready for a fun night with friends, and hopefully, Zeke. Now that they weren’t working together, her only worry was what her family might say. Sean hadn’t stepped inside Bart’s since he got engaged, so she wasn’t worried about running into her brother. She felt safe. She couldn’t wait to talk to Zeke about his business plans. Maybe she would be able to help him drum up customers.
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